I’m learning a lot about marketing in recent months. I’m no longer believing that an idea will succeed (at least in part) simply because it’s a good idea. OK, naive to ever pretend such a reality exists, but don’t we all want good ideas to win out? Sure, but life isn’t fair. Never has been, never will be.
So I remind myself that part of getting a message across is saying the same thing many times to different people. (Actually, this works with the same people, too, because not everyone listens carefully each time.) Every time, listen to the response, not just with your ears. Watch how body language demonstrates acceptance or rejection. Adapt to what works, dismiss that what doesn’t. And don’t let the necessary repetition bore you, because it is necessary.
These vague, unkempt musings spring from last night’s event and a presentation this morning. Both went well, but were different for me.
The blogging/marketing panel last night brought out 60-70 people, smart folks who were eager to learn how they could apply lessons of blogs and social media to their businesses. What I learned is that my experience reading dozens of blogs for several years is uncommon and that some of the mental checklists I take for granted are not yet common. The idea that you must influence and cajole, rather than shout and control, is emerging, but not yet standard fare. I hope last night’s conversation helped reinforce the right ideas.
This morning, I shared my excitement about a project at work with several dozen people whose understanding of why I’m excited is critical to its success. The conversation is really just beginning, but I appreciated the time devoted to learning and listening. Now I need to repeat and expand upon those themes with many of the same people in smaller groups, again and again, so the excitement doesn’t diffuse to the point where it can be shared no further. Enthusiasm may be contagious, but everyone has an immune system all the same. I hope I ‘infected’ some of my colleagues this morning.